Saturday, August 27, 2016

Saturday Jazz Performance - Estonian Dixieland Band

Photo produced by the Estonian Dixieland Band

This Saturday will be a little different because of the lack of video performances available for this band, the Estonian Dixieland Band. The only video I could find of the band playing live, featured parts of two tunes in which the Ella Stone sang with them.

The performance on the video, which was posted to YouTube on May 11, 2016, covers a part of both Crazy Rhythm and Bei Mir Bist Du Schön. Crazy Rhythm was featured in the 1928 musical Here's Howe. It was written and composed by Irving Caesar (1895-1996), Joseph Meyer (1894-1987), and Roger Wolfe Kahn (1907-1961). Kahn and his orchestra were first to record the tune in April 1928. It has been a popular jazz tune ever since.

Bei Mir Bist du Schön, is the German title for Bei Mir Bist du Shein which was written by Sholom Secunda (1894-1974) and Jacob Jacobs (1890-1977) in 1932 for a Yiddish musical comedy I Would if I Could.

But it wasn't until Sammy Cahn (1913-1993) and Saul Chaplin (1912-1997) rewrote the lyrics in English in 1937 that the song took off, with the Andrew Sisters recording it that November. The tune's popularity made it's way around the world.




The Estonian Dixieland Band is comprised of Petri Piiparinen on drums; Edgar Roditšenko on clarinet; Keio Vutt on saxophone; Sander Valdmaa on trumpet; Teno Kongi on trombone; Argo Vals on tuba; and Tommo Henttonen on banjo. They appear to have at least one album out. Here is their excellent recording of Sweet Georgia Brown.




Now lets listen to Crazy Rhythm as recorded by Roger Wolfe Kahn and His Orchestra in New York on April 12, 1928.

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